Distinguishing Features
Faculty & Research
Facilities
Relationships
The Canisius Advantage
Distinguishing
In selecting a college, consider the following features that Canisius has to offer:
- The academic credentials and real-world experiences of the chemistry faculty.
- Small class sizes and the opportunity to participate in a range of research projects.
- Hands-on experience with modern chemical and biochemical equipment.
- The job-placement record of our graduates.
- The success of our graduates, in gaining admittance into graduate and medical programs.
- The availability of faculty to consult with students.
- Faculty members - not graduate students or research assistants - teach all courses.
- The availability of research stipends to fund students interested in research projects.
- Paid internship and work-experience opportunities.
- Opportunities to interact with industrial and academic chemists on a regular basis, through seminars and invited lecture programs.
- A student club affiliated with, and a department accredited by, the American Chemical Society.
The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry has eight faculty, all with doctoral degrees from prominent institutions and experienced in both teaching and research. The Department also has five additional staff and laboratory instructors, with extensive professional experience and expertise in their fields.
All full-time faculty are actively involved in a range of research projects with students as co-researchers. Current projects being investigated in the Department include:
- Investigations into the structure of RNA
- The development of novel anti-parasitic agents
- Designing new photo-catalysts
- Analysis of heavy metals in Western New York waters
- Synthesis of new compounds to investigate neurotransmitter mechanisms
- Methods to convert carbon monoxide (a green-house gas) into fuel
- Using laser spectroscopy to study unstable metal-containing species.
Facilities
The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is located in the Horan-O'Donnell Science Building, which it shares with the Physics Department. The building has five classrooms with the latest electronic classroom technology as well as library and computer facilities devoted exclusively to chemistry and biochemistry students. In addition, with support from the National Science Foundation and other agencies, the department has invested over $670,000 since 2002 in new instrumentation for use by students. Some of the modern equipment in our laboratories include:
Bruker Avance DPX 250MHz Multinuclear Superconducting Nuclear Magnetic Resonance SpectrometerStudents have access to all these and other instruments for their research projects and course work.
NMR uses a strong magnetic field to analyze the nuclei of various elements in chemical compounds, yielding structure identification and molecular environment data.
Turnable pulsed YAG pumped dye laser (2004)
Nicolet 6700 FT Infrared Spectrometer with FT Raman module (2004)
Infrared spectroscopy identifies organic compounds by analyzing the interaction of infrared radiation with the motion of atoms in molecules.
Agilent Technologies Model 1100 HPLC Liquid Chromatograph (2005)
Liquid chromatography separates mixtures of compounds in solution and yields a quantitative analysis of each component.
Agilent Technologies 6850/5973 Gas Chromatograph / Mass Spectrometer (2002).
Mass spectrometry breaks apart a molecule by electron impact and analyzes the fragmentation pattern to determine the structure of the molecule.
Perkin-Elmer 460 Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer
Atomic absorption detects the presence of ions in aqueous solution as the vaporized ions absorb energy from a light source.
Spectro Analytical Flame-EOP Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectrometer
Inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy detects ions sequentially in a mixture as the atoms emit energy in an argon plasma.
Agilent 8453 Ultraviolet Diode Array Spectrometer (2005)
Ultraviolet spectroscopy provides information about molecular structure by analyzing the interaction of UV radiation with electronic transitions.
ECG/PARC 273A Electrochemical Potentiostat
Electrochemical experiments observe properties of ions and molecules as they interact with electrons at an electrode surface.
Olis DM45 Fluorimeter (2004)
Fluorimeters are used to examine the wavelengths of energy absorbed by molecules and the energy released by excited molecules. This can provide structural information about molecules.
Isco SFX System 2130 Supercritical Fluid Extraction Unit (2002)
Supercritical fluids like carbon dioxide above its critical point are used to separate compounds in complex mixtures such as biological materials.
Agilent Technologies G-1602A Capillary Electrophoresis Unit (2002)
Capillary electrophoresis is used for small-scale separation of large biological molecules.
Varian LC/MS
Combines the physical separation capabilities of liquid chromatography with that of the mass analysis of a mass spectrometer.
Relationships
Students learn chemistry not only from books and classroom lectures but from close one-on-one experiences with faculty and other students. The size of Canisius is very appropriate to enhancing the learning experience: not too large, so that the faculty know every student well; and not too small, so that all the resources that parallel today's work experience are available in our laboratories. Students may choose to work in small groups where cooperation and team learning is emphasized. Faculty and students do research in the same laboratories. Above all, undergraduate education is our primary mission.
The Canisius Advantage
Chemistry/biochemistry faculty are committed to providing students with a competitive edge after graduation, whether it be graduate or medical school acceptance, industrial employment, or related disciplines like teaching, environmental work, or computer-based technologies. We work with students to build a resume, starting at the time they commit to attend Canisius. Incoming students may begin projects under the direction of a faculty member in the summer before their freshman year. We provide the advice, encouragement, opportunities, and financial means for students to do research, internships, volunteer work, and attend conferences, which enable them to write an impressive and competitive resume after four years, assuming good performance in course work. Competence, gained by first hand experience using instruments and doing research projects, is the competitive edge in seeking employment.